I am not making any headway in Windows 11 with VarAC.

[dsiminiuk]

Radio is a Flex 8600
COM4 is set for CAT data only.
COM5 is set for PTT only on RTS.

C:\Radio\MercuryHF>mercury -K | findstr Flex
initrigs4_commradio: _init called
 23005  FlexRadio              SmartSDR Slice A        20240814.0      Stable      RIG_MODEL_SMARTSDR_A

In mercury.ini...

radio_model = 23005
radio_device = COM4
radio_serial_speed = 9600

Set audio channels

C:\Radio\MercuryHF>mercury -z | findstr DAX
device: name: 'DAX TX (FlexRadio DAX)'  id: '{8BA029C5-47AC-485E-ACF7-B418E391D8AB}'  default: (null)
device: name: 'DAX RX 1 (FlexRadio DAX)'  id: '{BDF35A00-B9AC-11D0-A619-00AA00A7C00C}'  default: (null)

In mercury.ini...

input_device = "{BDF35A00-B9AC-11D0-A619-00AA00A7C00C}"
output_device = "{8BA029C5-47AC-485E-ACF7-B418E391D8AB}"

I start mercury.exe (without VarAC) and in the console I get...

17:43:42.985 [+0.000s] [INF] [engine] Logger initialised (min_level=DEBUG)
rig_set_conf: rig_pathname='COM4'
17:43:42.985 [+0.000s] [INF] [engine] Initialising audio I/O (subsystem=3)
frontend_set_conf: pathname=COM4:4992
17:43:42.985 [+0.000s] [INF] [radio-io] Initializing radio (type=23005, device=COM4, hamlib_log_level=4, serial_speed=9600)
rig_token_lookup called for serial_speed
17:43:42.985 [+0.000s] [DBG] [radio-io] Set hamlib debug level to 4
rig_confparam_lookup called for serial_speed and not found
17:43:42.985 [+0.001s] [DBG] [radio-io] Calling rig_init(model=23005)
rig_set_conf called
rig_confparam_lookup called for 0 and not found
rig.c(970):rig_open entered
17:43:43.117 [+0.133s] [WRN] [radio-io] rig_set_conf(serial_speed) failed: -1
17:43:43.117 [+0.133s] [DBG] [radio-io] Calling rig_open(device=COM4)
network_init: WSAStartup OK
network_open: TCP connect
rig.c(1204):rig_open returning2(-1) Invalid parameter

*1:smartsdr.c(293):smartsdr_cleanup entered
17:43:43.135 [+0.151s] [ERR] [radio-io] rig_open: error = COM4 *1:smartsdr.c(146):smartsdr_init entered
*1:smartsdr.c(187):smartsdr_init returning(0)
rig_token_lookup called for rig_pathname
rig_confparam_lookup called for rig_pathname
rig_set_conf called
rig_confparam_lookup called for rig_pathname
rig_set_conf: rig_pathname='COM4'
frontend_set_conf: pathname=COM4:4992
rig_token_lookup called for serial_speed
rig_confparam_lookup called for serial_speed and not found
rig_set_conf called
rig_confparam_lookup call
*1:smartsdr.c(302):smartsdr_cleanup returning(0)
17:43:43.168 [+0.184s] [INF] [audio-cap] I/O capture ({BDF35A00-B9AC-11D0-A619-00AA00A7C00C}) int32 / 48000Hz / 2ch / 200ms buffer
mercury_engine: radio init failed
17:43:43.173 [+0.188s] [INF] [audio-play] I/O playback ({8BA029C5-47AC-485E-ACF7-B418E391D8AB}) int32 / 48000Hz / 2ch / 40ms buffer

Why this "frontend_set_conf: pathname=COM4:4992"? 4992 is a socket on the radio so should be to the IP address of the Flex not a COM port.

Is there a guide for Windows setup? Flex setup?

I really want to try this.

[dsiminiuk]

I changed radio_device to the IP address of my Flex and things are looking better.

[rafael2k]

Your fix was exactly right, and the confusion was our fault — thanks for writing it up in enough detail to track down.

What was going on. The FlexRadio SmartSDR backend (model 23005) is a network rig in Hamlib, not a serial one. Its rig_pathname is an address, and Hamlib appends its own default port when you don't give one — which is why you saw:

frontend_set_conf: pathname=COM4:4992

Hamlib took COM4 as a hostname, tried to resolve it, and failed with Invalid parameter. Nothing in Mercury told you the rig was a network rig, so there was no way to know that from the outside. Setting radio_device to the radio's IP is the correct answer.

What we've changed (PR #182, not merged yet):

• mercury -K now shows the port kind, so you can see it at the moment you pick the model number:

   Rig #  Mfg          Model              Version      Status   Port    Macro
    1049  Yaesu        FT-710             20241118.7   Stable   serial  RIG_MODEL_FT710
   23005  FlexRadio    SmartSDR Slice A   20240814.0   Stable   net     RIG_MODEL_SMARTSDR_A
  

• Your exact config now explains itself instead of failing cryptically:

  [WRN] radio_device='COM4' looks wrong for SmartSDR Slice A -- this rig is reached
        over the NETWORK, not a serial port: set radio_device to the radio's address
        (e.g. 192.168.1.50, or 192.168.1.50:4992 to override the port).
        radio_serial_speed does not apply.
  [ERR] rig_open(COM4) failed: Invalid parameter
  

• radio_serial_speed is no longer pushed at network rigs. That's the source of the rig_set_conf(serial_speed) failed: -1 line in your log — alarming, but it only ever meant "this rig has no baud rate", which for a Flex is correct and harmless.

• The rig_open error no longer drags Hamlib's entire debug buffer along with it, which is what made that line so hard to read in your paste.

The check is advisory only — it warns and lets Hamlib try anyway, so it can never block a setup that would actually have worked.

On your other points:

• COM5 for PTT on RTS — with the Flex you shouldn't need it. SmartSDR keys over the same network connection, so once CAT is talking to the radio's IP, PTT goes with it. Worth noting that Mercury currently has no separate PTT port setting at all (there's only radio_model, radio_device, radio_serial_speed), so a split CAT/PTT arrangement isn't expressible today. That's a real gap on our side for other radios; it just happens not to bite you here.

• Is there a guide for Windows / Flex setup? Honestly, no — docs/ has nothing on either, and your issue is a fair argument that it should. Noted.

How is it going since the IP change? If you get as far as decoding but the link misbehaves, one thing worth knowing: we found and fixed a bug this week where Mercury held PTT about 1.1 s longer than the transmission on Windows, which made every incoming ACK collide with the tail of our own transmission. That fix is already on mercuryv2, so if you're on a build from before yesterday it's worth updating.

[dsiminiuk]

Everything just came alive, even the ui.

Thanks!